Non-profit wants to send your student to college on their dime

Published: Saturday, May 4, 2013 at 11:03 PM.

A nonprofit organization called the Cleveland County Promise recently formed to provide scholarships to every Cleveland County student who graduates from high school.

And that could be at a savings of more than $50 million each year.

The program’s organizer, former Carolina Panther Willie Green, said he got the idea while he was coaching football at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark. A professor introduced Green to the Arkadelphia Promise.

The scholarship program was duplicated in Pittsburgh, Pa., Kalamazoo, Mich., and El Dorado, Ark.

“One reason I became interested was because our area is similar to Kalamazoo. Their auto industry moved out of Michigan, just like Cleveland County lost a lot of industry,” Green said. “When that happens in towns, they start becoming ghost towns and education suffers.”

‘One more positive step’

In each school in those towns where the program is already available, a financial and career advisor helps students fill out college applications, fill out financial aid and set up university trips, Green said.

“Preparing for college is a complicated process. Anything that can be done to help students out would be great,” Cleveland County Schools Superintendent Bruce Boyles said. “We have a lot of first-generation students and they don’t know all the steps for college, and this would give more opportunity.”

Having the encouragement of furthering their education would also decrease the number of high school dropouts.

“It would be one more positive step that would help them understand the importance of finishing school and receiving a high school diploma,” Boyles said.

Specific requirements

For students to participate, they would have to live and go to school in Cleveland County. Students who live in Cherryville or Gastonia and go to Cleveland County Schools would not be eligible.

The college could be a two- or four-year institution, or a public or private university. Interested students would have to go to college immediately after high school graduation and not take a year or two off.

“We have made exceptions for the military,” Green said. “If they leave college to go into the military, the clock stops until they return to continue their education.”

To keep the scholarship, students would have to stay in good academic standing and complete their schooling within four years.

The scholarship funds in- or out-of-state colleges. However, any out-of-state will only be funded up to the top amount of the most expensive North Carolina public university, Green said.

‘Encourage them to come back to the county’

The goal of the Promise is not only to pay for college tuition for students, but also to bring those students back to the county after college to work and start new businesses.

“You have a huge population of school-aged kids and then a large population of older people. We don’t have the 22- to 40-year-old population,” Green said. “They are moving out because there are few job opportunities. The Promise program will encourage them to come back to the county, work here and raise their families here.”

Companies looking to move to Cleveland County are looking for an educated and trained workforce, Cleveland County Chamber President Michael Chrisawn said.

“I think this program would set us apart from other communities,” Chrisawn said. “It would be a signal that we are educating our youth, and an educated workforce is becoming more important in the economic development field.”

Success in other areas

The El Dorado Promise in El Dorado, Ark., started in 2007. The number of graduates who went to college after high school jumped from 60 to 90 percent, said executive director Sylvia Thompson.

“Since the Promise started, it’s not a question of if a student is going to college, it’s a question of where they will attend,” Thompson said.

El Dorado is a rural area in southern Arkansas. Before the Promise, they were seeing a decline in school enrollment.

“We have seen an increase of student enrollment,” she said. “It’s really out of character for our area to see a leap in enrollment and students going to college.”

As soon as students begin school, they are informed of the El Dorado Promise and that they will go to college.

“Several students have returned to the area after college,” she said. “One of our Promise graduates was just hired at our high school to come back and teach.”

The next step? Raising the money

Donations from private donors and businesses makes the program possible.

“One thing I’ve noticed about our county is when everyone gets together and pulls their resources, we can get things done,” said retired law enforcement professional Willie McIntosh, who is one of the organizers. “I think Cleveland County could do it. It’s been tried and worked in other places, so I don’t see why our county couldn’t do it either.”

Green said organizers are looking for donations from within Cleveland County before soliciting to outside industries.

The community can donate via Paypal, on the Cleveland County Promise website or through the mail.

“We want to get people excited about the program and start a marketing campaign,” Green said. “Our fundraising will mostly be by word of mouth.”

Organizers say Cleveland County Promise, which recently received its non-profit status, could be ready to help students as early as 2014. But it will take at least 15 years to grow the program financially, Green said.

“What we want is to get people excited and let them see that this program is possible,” he said. “This has never been done in the state of North Carolina, and we could have one of the best school systems in the state, based on the history of how these programs have improved test scores and sent students to college.”

Promise impacts

Here is what happened after implementation of similar scholarship programs in other areas:

- Kalamazoo Promise, Kalamazoo, Mich.: 17 percent more enrollment since 2005, 71 percent more enrollment in AP classes, raised test scores, new residents moving into the area, large enrollment in local colleges, boost in job creation

A nonprofit organization called the Cleveland County Promise recently formed to provide scholarships to every Cleveland County student who graduates from high school.

And that could be at a savings of more than $50 million each year.

The program’s organizer, former Carolina Panther Willie Green, said he got the idea while he was coaching football at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark. A professor introduced Green to the Arkadelphia Promise.

The scholarship program was duplicated in Pittsburgh, Pa., Kalamazoo, Mich., and El Dorado, Ark.

“One reason I became interested was because our area is similar to Kalamazoo. Their auto industry moved out of Michigan, just like Cleveland County lost a lot of industry,” Green said. “When that happens in towns, they start becoming ghost towns and education suffers.”

‘One more positive step’

In each school in those towns where the program is already available, a financial and career advisor helps students fill out college applications, fill out financial aid and set up university trips, Green said.

“Preparing for college is a complicated process. Anything that can be done to help students out would be great,” Cleveland County Schools Superintendent Bruce Boyles said. “We have a lot of first-generation students and they don’t know all the steps for college, and this would give more opportunity.”

Having the encouragement of furthering their education would also decrease the number of high school dropouts.

“It would be one more positive step that would help them understand the importance of finishing school and receiving a high school diploma,” Boyles said.

Specific requirements

For students to participate, they would have to live and go to school in Cleveland County. Students who live in Cherryville or Gastonia and go to Cleveland County Schools would not be eligible.

The college could be a two- or four-year institution, or a public or private university. Interested students would have to go to college immediately after high school graduation and not take a year or two off.

“We have made exceptions for the military,” Green said. “If they leave college to go into the military, the clock stops until they return to continue their education.”

To keep the scholarship, students would have to stay in good academic standing and complete their schooling within four years.

The scholarship funds in- or out-of-state colleges. However, any out-of-state will only be funded up to the top amount of the most expensive North Carolina public university, Green said.

‘Encourage them to come back to the county’

The goal of the Promise is not only to pay for college tuition for students, but also to bring those students back to the county after college to work and start new businesses.

“You have a huge population of school-aged kids and then a large population of older people. We don’t have the 22- to 40-year-old population,” Green said. “They are moving out because there are few job opportunities. The Promise program will encourage them to come back to the county, work here and raise their families here.”

Companies looking to move to Cleveland County are looking for an educated and trained workforce, Cleveland County Chamber President Michael Chrisawn said.

“I think this program would set us apart from other communities,” Chrisawn said. “It would be a signal that we are educating our youth, and an educated workforce is becoming more important in the economic development field.”

Success in other areas

The El Dorado Promise in El Dorado, Ark., started in 2007. The number of graduates who went to college after high school jumped from 60 to 90 percent, said executive director Sylvia Thompson.

“Since the Promise started, it’s not a question of if a student is going to college, it’s a question of where they will attend,” Thompson said.

El Dorado is a rural area in southern Arkansas. Before the Promise, they were seeing a decline in school enrollment.

“We have seen an increase of student enrollment,” she said. “It’s really out of character for our area to see a leap in enrollment and students going to college.”

As soon as students begin school, they are informed of the El Dorado Promise and that they will go to college.

“Several students have returned to the area after college,” she said. “One of our Promise graduates was just hired at our high school to come back and teach.”

The next step? Raising the money

Donations from private donors and businesses makes the program possible.

“One thing I’ve noticed about our county is when everyone gets together and pulls their resources, we can get things done,” said retired law enforcement professional Willie McIntosh, who is one of the organizers. “I think Cleveland County could do it. It’s been tried and worked in other places, so I don’t see why our county couldn’t do it either.”

Green said organizers are looking for donations from within Cleveland County before soliciting to outside industries.

The community can donate via Paypal, on the Cleveland County Promise website or through the mail.

“We want to get people excited about the program and start a marketing campaign,” Green said. “Our fundraising will mostly be by word of mouth.”

Organizers say Cleveland County Promise, which recently received its non-profit status, could be ready to help students as early as 2014. But it will take at least 15 years to grow the program financially, Green said.

“What we want is to get people excited and let them see that this program is possible,” he said. “This has never been done in the state of North Carolina, and we could have one of the best school systems in the state, based on the history of how these programs have improved test scores and sent students to college.”

Promise impacts

Here is what happened after implementation of similar scholarship programs in other areas:

- Kalamazoo Promise, Kalamazoo, Mich.: 17 percent more enrollment since 2005, 71 percent more enrollment in AP classes, raised test scores, new residents moving into the area, large enrollment in local colleges, boost in job creation